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5 from 1 vote

General Tso’s Chickpeas and Veggies

General Tso’s Chickpeas and Veggies this is much healthier and flavorful spin on the classic-deep fried-dish, also it is plant-based and gluten-free! Sauteed veggies, chickpeas as well or chicken stir fried with a General Tso's sauce. A fast and effortless weekday meal.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Servings: 4
Author: Kayla

Ingredients

General Tso's Sauce (adapted from Pinch of Yum)

  • ½ cup vegetable-broth
  • ⅓ cup rice-vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp sesame-oil
  • ½ cup gluten-free tamari or soy-sauce
  • 1 knob of ginger, grated
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1-2 tbsp of cold water (for a thinner sauce, use 1 tbsp corn-starch)
  • 2 tbsp gluten-free plain tomato-paste

Stir Fry Veggies

  • 1 head of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 2 small red-bell-peppers, cored and sliced
  • 2-3 cloves minced garlic
  • 2-3 tbsp sesame-oil
  • 1 bunch green-onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts divided
  • chicken breast, cut into 1-2 inch pieces (Optional)
  • toasted sesame-seeds, (Optional for serving)

Prepared brown rice, white rice or quinoa for serving

    Instructions

    For the General Tso's Sauce

    • In a small-saucepan, heat the sesame-oil over moderate heat. Then add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a few minutes or till aromatic.
    • Add remaining ingredients & whisk to blend. Simmer about 10-15minutes till sauce is thickened. Put aside.
    • Notice: Sauce will thicken as it cools, then thin-up again if heated.

    For the Veggie Stir Fry

    • In a large skillet over medium-high-heat, add 2-3 tablespoons oil & heat till shimmering but not burning.
    • Add white-parts of onions and a few of the green-parts and saute a a few minutes or till just tender.
    • Add garlic and saute about 30minutes or till aromatic.
    • Add peppers and saute for 3-4minutes before beginning to get tender. Add broccoli and cook another 2-3minutes. Cook more longer for softer vegetables.
    • Add a few spoonfuls of General Tso's sauce into the sauteed veggies and stir to blend. Heat for 2-3minutes till warm when the sauce is not overly warm.
    • Spoon vegetables to a bowl & put aside.
    • Add chickpeas to the same saute-pan & over medium-heat, saute for 2-3minutes to heat.
    • Spoon General Tso's Sauce on the chickpeas, stir to blend and let simmer a couple of minutes and serve. The more the chickpeas simmer together with the sauce, the longer they absorb the taste.
    • Serve veggies and chickpeas. Garnish with sesame-seeds & extra green-parts of onion if desired.

    Notes

    OPTION: Rather than chickpeas, you can saute chicken however cook the chicken , then add the broccoli and peppers.
    NOTE: to maintain the veggies and chickpeas different, I sauteed them each individually.
    First the peppers. Then put aside. Subsequently the broccoli, then put aside; afterward the chickpeas.
    I included a number of the sauce straight to the chickpeas and then allow them to simmer. Then added the sauce on top of the veggies.